"Stunning" Viking necklace unearthed in Ireland

An archaeologist team has unearthed a "stunning" 1,150-year-old Viking necklace in cave in the Burren, County Clare

The team is lead by Sligo Institute of Technology's Dr. Marion Dowd, and they are currently excavating Glencurran cave in the Burren National Park. Dowd described the find as a "treasure trove" for archaeologists.

“The necklace is the largest Viking necklace to have been found in Ireland. Normally, Viking necklaces that have been found have five to six glass beads, but this has 71 glass beads covered with gold foil,” she said.

"It really is bizarre how this necklace from a high status Viking came to be in a cave in the Burren. There is no parallel for it in Ireland and it is puzzling on a number of fronts.”

Dowd suspects that the necklace may have been used as trade off between Vikings in Limerick and Gaelic chieftains in the Burren.